Sunday 17th May. This is the last morning of
General Council, which will finish around 2 p.m. Whilst the DGs and DGEs are hard at work
legislating, the Consortium is going out for the morning. Di King has organised
a coach, and 21 of us (two men and 19 women) are heading off to Worcester for a
few hours, and then on to the birthplace of one of our greatest composers,
Edward Elgar, who is probably most famous for writing Land of Hope and Glory.
Worcester
Immediately after breakfast, and having checked out of the
Hotel and dispatched the DG off to Kinwarton Road, I clambered aboard the bus,
and took my rightful seat at the front, where I would be sitting next to Di for
the journey. We were a mixture of Consorts to DGs, and Consorts to DGEs, and
consequently I didn’t know a lot of the DGE Consorts, apart from Pat O’Keeffe
of course. It was only about 40 minutes to Worcester, avoiding Motorways, and I
was very impressed with the rolling countryside and neat villages we passed
along the way. Normally I am driving so I don’t really have time to look at the
countryside, being too busy trying to get past caravans and tractors, so I
appreciated the opportunity to look around.
The verdant Worcestershire countryside
It was interesting talking to Di about subjects other than
Rotary, or more specifically, Youth Exchange. Anyone who spends time with Di
will soon learn that she is passionate about Youth Exchange. However, I hadn’t
known that she has many other interests. For instance she is a chorister, and
is a member of a church choir. One of the sacrifices she has made during Peter’s
year as RIBI President is that she has been unable to practice with her choir,
and I sensed she was looking forward to
getting back to that side of her life. I could identify with that, because I
have also had to make sacrifices during my career as Consort to the District
Governor. Even this weekend, I have had
to miss out on Match of the Day due to a dinner engagement.
Worcester Cathedral
Traffic seemed remarkably light as we drove into Worcester,
a city I have never been to before. The coach driver dropped us off at the
magnificent Worcester Cathedral, and we were left to our own devices for a
couple of hours. Being a Sunday morning, the cathedral bells were ringing out,
creating a great atmosphere in the surrounding area. We all thought we would
start off in the Cathedral, but were disappointed when we got to the entrance,
to find a notice saying that it would not be open to visitors until midday,
which was the time we would be leaving Worcester. Most of the consortium turned
away at this point, but I was made of sterner stuff. Having come all this way
on my first visit to Worcester, I wasn’t going to be turned away lightly. I had
seen someone go in, so I knew the door was open and just walked in, expecting my colleagues to
follow me.
First off the bus, Rosemary and Sheila
The consortium have arrived in town
It is a beautiful Cathedral inside, and I was drawn to the
incredible vaulted ceiling, and the most ornate pulpit I have ever seen. There were a few other people wandering
around, who looked like visitors, and nobody challenged me, so I carried on exploring
the interior. I noticed a Magna Carta exhibition in the Cathedral, no doubt due
to this year being the 800th anniversary of its’ signing, and I was
surprised to learn that King John himself was buried here. You would think it
would be easy to locate the tomb of one of the most famous kings this country
has ever had, but no, I couldn’t find it anywhere. Obviously if I was on a guided tour it would
be pointed out, but I didn’t feel inclined to ask anyone for its whereabouts in
case I was turfed out. I had also become
aware that the rest of the consortium hadn’t in fact followed me in, so I
thought I had better rejoin them.
King John's tomb (picture from web). How did I manage to miss this?
When I emerged from the Cathedral, only about fifteen
minutes later, I was surprised to find they had all gone off and left me. Oh
well, I thought, at least I won’t have to go shopping. The river Severn flows
past the cathedral, so I went for a stroll alongside whilst I got my bearings.
Nearby, I discovered, was the Museum of Royal Worcester, so I thought it would
be pleasant to stroll around its collection of ceramics for which Royal
Worcester was famous. I also needed to find a toilet, and the museum would be
bound to have one. When I got there I was astonished to find it was closed on
Sundays. How can that be? There must be hundreds, if not thousands of visitors
in Worcester at weekends, why close the museum on what could arguably be its
busiest day? If it was necessary to close for a day, why not do so on a Monday?
Maybe I was being unfair, perhaps there is a local law about Sunday trading
which prevents the museum from opening.
Museum of Royal Worcester (closed today)
So I headed into the town centre, less interested in tourist
attractions than in finding a toilet. Public Conveniences seem to be
non-existent here, but thank goodness for
McDonalds (they seem happy to open on a Sunday) and was able to use their
facilities. Thus refreshed, I continued on my sightseeing tour. I had just
arrived at the Guildhall, and was taking the photograph below of the ornate
exterior, when there was a tap on my shoulder. It was Rosemary Price. She and
Sheila Keller were having a coffee in a café nearby and saw me walk past. I was
happy to join them, and it wasn’t long before Janice Sawle and Linda Cowling
also walked in.
The Guildhall
It was nearly time to rejoin the coach, and we
headed off towards the Cathedral, passing a small street market. I can’t
believe I’m writing this, but I did some shopping! My ladies were browsing shops as we walked
down the street, and even Di King was spotted looking for a hat for a wedding
she was going to. Then I saw it. A brown cord jacket which fitted me perfectly,
for just £10. The DG would be proud of me. One of my companions suggested the
cord was upside down, explaining why it was being sold so cheaply. I hadn’t
noticed that, and I don’t think many would.
Copenhagen Street, named after a famous Nelson sea battle
Back on the coach, I emphasised what everybody had missed in
not going into the Cathedral, but I don’t think they were all that bothered.
Most seemed to have enjoyed their visit, and we were all looking forward to our
next stop, at Edward Elgar’s birthplace. It was only about 10 minutes drive to
the small rural cottage where he was born and spent much of the early part of
his life. A pleasant small visitor centre has been created there, but the staff
seemed a little overwhelmed at 21 people arriving together. We negotiated a
group seniors price of £5 per head and in we went.
Edward Elgar's birthplace
The cottage itself was opened to the public by Elgar’s
daughter after his death in 1934. Every room contains memorabilia from his
life, including his actual desk, laid out as it was when he was composing.
Walls are covered in family photographs, concert programmes and letters. I
always find it interesting to study the minutiae of the lives of great people,
their interests and hobbies. Although he received no formal training he rose
from humble beginnings to international fame, becoming a knight of the realm.
Outside the house is a beautifully tended cottage garden, at the bottom of
which is a bench where a life size sculpture of Elgar sits. The tour finished
with a film of Elgar’s life. It had been a good way to spend an hour or so,
before we headed back.
I share a bench with Edward Elgar
When we got back to Alcester, our young coach driver had a
problem. The main streets were still closed for the Food Festival, so he had to
do a wide detour. This gave him the opportunity to extend our tour by showing us
his own birthplace, the school he went to, and the home he grew up in.
Apparently he had been to University but was enjoying coach driving, which has
taken him to destinations around Europe.
Despite the detour, we were still back before the General Council had finished
their deliberations, but by 2.30 we were on our way. The DG slept most of the
way home.
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